Not Yours to Lose
by sunsetmurph24
Summary: Booth and Brennan are at a crossroads that could ultimately make or break their partnership. The outcome of this night will determine where their relationship goes next or if there will even be one. [I'm horrible at summaries, just trust me and give it a read - I think you'll like it!]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the storyline! Bones and its characters belong to Fox. This is my first story that I plan to extend into a multi-chapter story. Let me know your thoughts and if you have ideas, go ahead and toss them out there - I would love to hear from you!

Booth stood across her over the exam table in the bone room. They were staring each other down, neither willing to break first. This had been building up for months but neither of them was ready for the fallout they knew was coming. It was all because of her: Hannah. The rebound girl that Booth kept insisting was _not_ a rebound girl. He loved her. He'd asked her to move in with him. You don't usually do that with a rebound girl, right? Everyone knew the truth, though. She was a distraction from his heartbreak. Someone that he thought would force him to move on. The conversation he was currently having proved that he most definitely had not. Booth finally broke.

"I made a mistake, Bones," he admitted. "I'm human, alright? What do you want me to do, go back in time? I can't change it now, neither can you. I'll kick myself for it for the foreseeable future, believe me. I screwed up and I know it."

"You turned your phone off, Booth," Temperance said, a dangerous edge to her voice. "In the middle of a case. To have 'uninterrupted sex' with Hannah. Your prime suspect showed up here looking for Cam and me, threatened us and wouldn't leave the premises when asked. Three of us tried to call you multiple times because we deemed it to be a potentially dangerous situation and wanted to know what to do. You never answered because you had turned your phone off to sleep with your girlfriend and because of that we had to call the police making a huge mess out of the entire thing. All you can say is 'I made a mistake'?" Booth scrubbed a hand over his face and let out a frustrated sigh.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, turning toward her. "What is a better answer here, Bones?"

"I want you to see that Angela is right!" she shouted. Her sudden shift in tone startled them both but it made Booth freeze. He had never seen her this angry before, which was saying something. "Hannah is affecting your judgment. She's literally a dangerous distraction and you can't see it! How is it that _I_ can see how toxic of a person –of a relationship! – this is, but you can't? You're the one that's supposed to be so skilled with people, yet when it comes to your own personal life you're blind."

Booth could do nothing but look at her. He had no rebuttal. He had let Hannah convince him to turn his phone off and it had ended up jeopardizing the lives of his squint team. Booth could see her chest rising and falling rapidly with her breathing. She was livid. The muscles in his jaw worked as he struggled to find words, any words. After a minute, Temperance had slowed her breathing somewhat and he finally spoke again.

"I cannot tell you how sorry I am," he said. He leaned both arms against the table and hung his head. "I messed up, Bones. This is on me, I know that, but it isn't Hannah's fault." Booth looked up right at the moment the fire in her eyes reached a whole new level. When she spoke, her voice was low and cold.

"You're a fool, Seeley Booth," she stated. Booth could feel something in the air shift and his heart started racing. His instincts were picking up on something that his consciousness wasn't catching up to yet.

"I don't want this to be something that I lose you over," he pleaded. Booth fixed his eyes on hers as he felt a rising panic. Something incredibly bad had just happened between them, he could feel it. He searched her face, looking for something that could help him figure out what to do next but found nothing. His mind was whirring as he tried to conjure up the words he needed to say but before he could, she said a single sentence. A single sentence that made his blood run cold. A single sentence that nearly broke his already fractured heart completely in half. A single sentence that he couldn't argue with because she was right. A single sentence that could effectively end their partnership right then and there.

"I'm not yours to lose."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the storyline!**

**A/N: thank you to everyone for your reviews and encouraging words! I apologize for the delay in this second chapter - I had been focusing on finals. Reviews and suggestions are always welcome! I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's somewhat short. I promise the third one will be up soon!**

He should have followed her, but he couldn't move. The weight of her last sentence hung in the air, echoing with everything that had happened between them in the last few years. Booth stood completely still, staring at the doorway his partner had just walked through.

_"__I'm not yours to lose."_

He wasn't sure he agreed with that. They weren't together, even though he had desperately wanted to be.

Once.

She was still his partner. They had been working together for six years now and that meant something to him. If nothing else, she was his best friend. The person he knew he could always lean on no matter what was happening in his life. For years now she had been his constant. He admitted to himself, though, that that concept had changed somewhat since last year when the two of them had taken some time away from the team.

And each other.

_"__Tight as a drum…And trust me: the way you two are running away from each other, you better be damn sure of these little trips you're taking."_

The memory came to his mind unbidden. Caroline had called it, as she usually did. Booth knew she had hit the nail on the head, at least with his reasoning. He had most definitely been running away. He couldn't handle working with her day in and day out anymore after having offered himself to her and been firmly rejected. It hurt too much and he didn't know what else to do.

So, he ran. To where he felt most comfortable and confident: the desert. Geared up in uniform.

Booth realized he had been standing, alone, in the bone room for several minutes as all of this rushed through his mind. He sighed heavily and leaned on the exam table. He knew he was trying to justify it to himself. Bones was right, she wasn't his to lose. At least not in the sense that he knew she was talking about. Even though it had been in the context of their partnership, Booth could read between the lines.

He had noticed that Temperance had been acting differently around him since Hannah had shown up in D.C. that day at the diner. She had befriended his girlfriend and Hannah genuinely liked his partner, but there was a distance Bones had been exhibiting ever since that day. He had hurt her somehow.

Booth tried not to let his mind wander down the 'what if' path. Part of him wondered if it was because she had feelings for him, and the presence of a serious girlfriend had been causing her pain. Although unlikely, he couldn't help thinking it.

"Stop," he said out loud, sternly to himself. His mind was going off in a million directions and he needed to halt the process before it arrived at the door he kept firmly shut ever since last year. His feelings for her.

_You don't have feelings for her anymore, _he thought. _You have Hannah. You love Hannah. She just moved in with you. You're over Bones, you have been for months. Stop._

Booth finally walked out of the bone room and headed toward the front door. He could feel the eyes of Angela and Hodgins on him as he walked past the forensic platform, but he didn't even glance their way. He kept his eyes firmly on the sliding doors at the end of the massive room as he walked out of the Jeffersonian, trying his hardest not to focus on the sinking feeling in his gut.

Despite what she said, Booth was pretty damn sure he had indeed just lost her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline.**

**A/N: The creative juices were flowing today so I decided to upload this third chapter. Let me know what you think, I love your feedback! Enjoy!**

Temperance Brennan sat on the couch in her office, only the lamp on her desk lighting the space. She had been staring at her laptop screen for at least twenty minutes as she tried to focus her energy on the case.

It wasn't working.

Her conversation with Booth kept invading her mind to the point where she could hardly think about anything else. She dropped her head into her hands with a heavy sigh. She almost regretted her choice of words, which was unlike her. The look on her partner's face had part of her wanting to take it back but at the same time, it was the truth.

Booth had always been a bit more than a partner to her. Not necessarily as in romantically, but there was something more to their relationship than simply working together. There had always been an undercurrent between them that they both knew existed. It was typically ignored, until that night on the steps.

_"__I'm the gambler," she heard Booth say, quietly, almost to himself. She turned to look at him, confused. "I believe in giving this a chance. Look, I wanna give this a shot."_

_Stunned, Temperance didn't know what to say. He couldn't possibly be saying what she thought he was saying. "You mean us?" Booth simply nodded, moving closer to her._

_ "__No, the FBI won't let us work together as a couple," she said adamantly. That was always the reason she gave herself whenever Booth's handsome smile crossed her mind. He shook his head and stepped toward her._

_ "__Don't do that, that is no reason-" he said right before pulling her to him and kissing her, hard. Temperance's reaction was out of her control, she kissed him back with her hands coming up to rest on his arms. For a moment she sank into the kiss remembering just why she often fantasized about their first one so many years ago. It felt incredibly good to be in his arms, but reality came crashing in and she broke the kiss._

_ "__No!" she said, pushing against his chest. "No." He gripped her elbows, a look of desperation in his eyes._

_ "__Why?" he asked. "Why?" She tried to put it into words that would correctly convey what she felt he needed to know._

_ "__You thought you were protecting me, but you're the one that needs protecting," Temperance emphasized._

_ "__Protecting from what?" he asked, confused._

_ "__From me," she said, tears coming unbidden to her eyes as she tossed up her hands. "I…I don't have your kind of open heart-"_

_ "__Just give it a chance. That's all I'm asking," Booth pleaded._

_ "__No, you said it yourself," she replied. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome."_

_ "__Well, then let's go for a different outcome here. Just hear me out, alright?" he entreated as he shifted his feet. Temperance focused on his face as best she could. "When you talk to older couples who, you know, have been in love for 30 or 40 or 50 years, alright, it's always the guy that says, 'I knew'." Temperance felt her heart skip a beat, just before it began hammering in her chest._

_ "__I knew, right from the beginning," Booth said. _

_ "__Your evidence is anecdotal," she interrupted, trying to regain a semblance of control over the direction this conversation was going but Booth wouldn't let her finish._

_ "__I'm that guy. Bones, I'm that guy," he said, almost surprised at what he was saying, like he was just realizing the truth of his own words "I know."_

_Temperance fought to blink away the tears and looked down to avoid his eyes. She shook her head, struggling to find words. He had taken her completely off guard and she didn't know what to do or say. Part of her wanted to say that she wanted to give it a chance too but the other part of her, the more dominant part of her, was too afraid. She would be risking everything and she wasn't willing to do that._

_ "__I…I am not a gambler," the only words she could conjure. "I'm a scientist. I can't change. I don't know how." The look on his face caused her almost physical pain. The hurt she saw in his eyes was what made the tears finally fall._

_ "__I don't know how," she repeated, weakly, almost as if trying to convince herself and not Booth. Temperance had never been good at reading people, but she could read her partner. She could almost see the walls being thrown up as he continued to look at her, trying to accept what she was saying._

Temperance's eyes flew open as she forced her way back from the painful memory. She had broken his heart, she watched it happen, and it still hurt her to even think about. She brushed the lone tear that had escaped from her eye. There were few things in her life that she regretted; breaking her partner's heart was at the top of the list. And for what? Fear? That seemed so ridiculous to her now. She supposed that the push she needed was a legitimate fear that she might lose him to someone else when Hannah showed up on the scene.

She had never imagined he would somehow find someone while in Afghanistan. Only Booth could find a beautiful woman in the middle of a war zone. Temperance sighed.

She couldn't do this anymore. It hurt too much.

Now she understood why Booth had decided to temporarily rejoin the Army. He needed space to move on. Maybe she did too.

He was always around, they were together more often than not and now his girlfriend was living with him in D.C. The worst part was that she liked Hannah and had become friends with her, but she couldn't pretend that she didn't also hate that the woman had what she wanted. This fiasco with Booth having turned his phone off when they had needed him most also made her wonder if he was still fit to be the agent assigned to this team. She hated to think that but he had literally put their lives in danger to sleep with his girlfriend and that made he wonder if he was still fully capable of doing his job. Angela had made many comments since Hannah had shown up about how Booth was different and not in a good way. She had even specifically said not two weeks ago that she felt the FBI agent was becoming alarmingly distracted. Her best friend seemed to be right and Temperance was seeing it.

Thinking about the catalyst for their argument earlier brought back the anger she had felt after facing down a serial killer intent on harming her and Cam and not being able to reach the FBI agent who's job it was to keep them safe. She felt the burning feeling intensify in her chest and her sadness for what could have been started to melt away in the flames.

Hannah's seduction and Booth's male susceptibility had almost gotten her killed. Letting her anger take over, she decided she was done. It was the logical decision, he had left her no choice, and she believed that no one would question it. Temperance stood up and went looking for Camille Saroyan.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to everyone for your encouragment and reviews, I really appreciate the feedback! I'm sorry this chapter has been so long in coming - the holidays have been very busy for me. I also have had a hard time loving the way this chapter came out - let me know what you guys think of it.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything but the storyline. Everything is owned by Fox

He had ceased to feel the bracing winter air, having walked around in it for the better part of two hours. His face was numb, just like the rest of him. Famous for his gut instinct, Booth knew that his partnership with Bones had just ended. Part of him prayed that she wouldn't go that far but he realized how significant of a mistake he had made; she would.

Temperance Brennan was not particularly forgiving.

Booth knew that well.

Pausing in his walk, Booth leaned against the railing to his left and hung his head. An unwelcome, uncomfortable feeling was rising in his chest, causing his heartrate to rise and his breathing to become shallow. It took him several moments to identify the feeling. He had only felt this way a handful of times in his entire life. Seeley Booth was panicking.

He had made many mistakes regarding his partner in the last few years and each one stood out starkly in his memory, almost taunting him, but some of the best times in his life also included her. Brennan had gradually seeped into every aspect of his life. She had come to fill multiple roles in his life, she didn't neatly fit into a single box. He couldn't separate her as just "friend" or "colleague" anymore because she wasn't just a single box, she fit into all of them. Bones had crept up on him; silently integrating herself into his life to the point where the mere thought of her not being a part of his life scared him more than anything he'd ever faced. Booth realized he had accidentally built his entire world around her.

Now faced with the very real possibility of her disappearing from his life completely and entirely, the panic he had begun to feel intensified to where he didn't think he could move. His entire world was about to come crashing down around him and he was powerless to stop it.

Booth lifted his head and looked out across the park, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He ran back through the conversation in his head. For some reason, one thing Bones had said kept echoing in his head, _"Angela was right!"_ He was aware that Angela didn't like Hannah; the feeling was mutual. The moment that she had shaken Hannah's hand, Booth knew that the two women would not get along.

_Angela was right!_

Angela was most likely angrier at him than Bones was, but he felt he had no choice: he needed to talk to the artist.

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There weren't very many people that truly unnerved Special Agent Seeley Booth, but Angela Montenegro was one of them. She always had a dangerous edge to her that only could be seen if you looked for it. Booth had no doubt in his mind that if the occasion called for it, Angela would take him out and no one would ever find his body. Those thoughts were what had him hesitating outside her office door. He took a final deep breath and steeled himself for the storm as he knocked on the door frame.

Angela Montenegro looked up from her laptop. Her expression stopped Booth in his tracks. It wasn't exactly a frightening look or an angry look, but her eyes held something that made his hair stand on end. This woman was homicidal and he had just walked into her line of sight.

She didn't say anything, she simply looked at him. He swallowed nervously as he turned to quietly shut her door then step in front of her desk.

"Sit down," she commanded. Without even thinking, Booth did just that. Her tone brooked no argument. He swallowed again, waiting for her to say more.

"I had a lot I wanted to say to you," she began. Angela leaned back in her office chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now that you're here, I'm not quite sure what to say."

That was worse. He was ready for the yelling and the cursing, not for whatever this was.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" she asked. Booth blinked several times, confused. She was giving him a chance to give an excuse. He wasn't that stupid.

"I don't have an excuse to give you, Angela," Booth said, quietly. "I messed up and I know it." She tilted her head and continued to regard him silently. Something told him not to say anything further, so he waited for her to speak again.

"I appreciate that, Booth," she said. Angela leaned forward and folded her arms on the desk, still looking at him with the strange expression. "I've always believed you to be a genuinely good man. That's why your behavior the last few months has been so disturbing to me."

Booth was taken aback. He suddenly felt like he was in the principal's office being chastised. The agent felt a flare of irritation. _What was that supposed to mean? _His expression must have alerted her to his thoughts.

"There are, actually, some things I would like to say to you, Booth," Angela sighed. The fact that she wasn't outwardly angry was making him extremely nervous. Where was the yelling? "Some things that I think you need to hear but no one has the guts to say to you. I'm going to be the one to say them because this whole thing has made it abundantly clear that you're past the point of hearing reason and I'm over it." Booth leaned back in his own chair as he kept his gaze on his friend. Here was the storm.

"Hannah is affecting you in a way that I don't think you can see," she began. "I've been in situations like that before so I understand why you can't see what everyone else does. The relationship that you have with Hannah is not healthy. I could see that from the get-go because I have an eye for things like that, but it's been a gradual process that I've watched for months. She has a hold on you. You are so desperate to make her happy and create this perfect relationship that you don't see she is the wrong person to do it with. She's your rebound girl, everyone knows it, including you. You don't marry the rebound girl, Booth."

"You shouldn't even move in with the rebound girl. You're trying to force yourself to move on from Brennan so intensely that you're blind to what's actually happening. She manipulated you into doing something that she knew was dangerous because she knew she could. Hannah is very aware of the influence she has over you and uses it. Frequently." Angela paused, seeming to let her words sink in.

"You said that you made a mistake, but it wasn't her fault," she continued. "You did make a mistake, but she was the one that led you to make it. Your judgment is affected, and I'm scared for you. I'm scared for all of us, after this insanity. Brennan and Cam honestly don't believe that you're capable of doing your job anymore. Do you understand what that means? You've lost our trust, Booth."

"I don't know what else to do or say that will make you realize the situation that you're in," she said. Her voice was pleading. "Please let this be a wake-up call. Please let this show you that she's the problem here and that she will destroy your life if you stay with her. You're going to lose your entire team if you don't figure it out right now."

Angela took a deep breath and sat back in her chair again. She still didn't look angry, she looked sad.

Booth's head was spinning. One thing she had said kept swirling in his head, _you've lost our trust_. He had always known Angela to be blunt and honest, even when you didn't necessarily want her to be. She was the one friend he could always count on to give the real state of the union, which she was obviously doing now.

Booth looked off to his right, his jaw working, trying to think. That was a lot of information to get in two minutes. Was Hannah the problem here? He had noticed that the team dynamic had shifted since he had come back from Afghanistan, but he had attributed that to having been gone and working to get back into the flow of things. Maybe he had been wrong.

"That's a lot to think about, Ange," he said wearily. "Thanks for being straight with me, I guess. You not being angry is really freaking me out." She answered his unspoken question.

"I'm not really mad, Booth, because I don't think it's entirely your fault," she replied. "This isn't you and I know that. Something is off here. Like I said, I have always believed you to be a good man and that's why I haven't understood any of this."

Booth nodded and stood up, scrubbing a hand across his jaw. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took the few steps to her doorway then paused. He looked at her over his shoulder.

"I know," she said. He nodded again and opened the door. As he was heading for the main door to the lab, he was so engrossed in his own thoughts that it was multiple rings of his cell instead of the usual one before he picked up.

"Booth," he answered gruffly. After a quick conversation, Booth's heart sank even lower than it was before. Hacker wanted to see him and he sounded just as odd as Angela had.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you guys for being so patient for this next chapter! I'm in my last semester of nursing school so things have been absolutely crazy and I've had no time whatsoever to write. I know this one is short, but I'm working on a second one as well which I'll hopefully have up by tonight! As always, comments are encouraged! :)

Temperance had been sitting in her running car for over ten minutes. She knew that she ought to leave before Booth showed up, which she knew he would soon, but was having a hard time mustering the energy.

She and Cam had spent the last couple of hours discussing the situation and how they should proceed. Cam had the team to consider, being the boss, and Temperance…well, Temperance had her own sanity to consider. Ultimately, the decision had been made to submit a formal termination letter of the Jeffersonian's affiliation with the FBI.

Brennan knew that it had hurt both her and Cam to make this decision, but they also both knew it was the only logical one to be made. She secretly hoped that getting to this point would push Booth to finally realize that he needed to dump Hannah's ass and kick her out of his life. She secretly hoped that he cared about his team, about her, more than her when he looked in his heart of hearts. Her argument with him earlier showed her that he just simply didn't.

Sighing heavily, she opened her car door, grabbed the manila folder and headed for the elevators. Instead of pressing the usual number to Booth's unit, she hit the button a few floors above to Hacker's floor. The man had always had a thing for her and she was not looking forward to having to speak to him, but the FBI had protocols and she was following them.

The ding signifying her arrival on the floor brought her attention back to her task. Temperance stepped off the elevator and turned left down the hall to Hacker's office.

A light tap on his door and a quiet, "Come in," and Temperance was facing Booth's superior. Hacker's face lit up when he saw who stood in his office, but immediately darkened as he saw the expression on her face. He glanced swiftly at the folder in her hand then back up to her face.

"Temperance," he began. "How are you?"

She knew he was referencing how she was after being held at gunpoint by a deranged killer, but her mind could only think about how her emotions were in turmoil regarding her partner.

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, in her cold and detached tone. "I was bringing this by. My understanding is that it needs to be filed by you."

She walked forward, holding out the folder as he reached across his desk to take it. Hacker flipped it open then brought his eyes again to her face, this time with an odd expression.

"You're terminating your partnership with Special Agent Seeley Booth," it was not a question, more of a statement.

"I believe that it what the letter states," she replied. "You'll find it is signed by Dr. Saroyan and myself." He nodded his head as he perused the letter.

"Understood," he stated. "I'll file this as soon as I get the chance. I'm sorry to see this happen, Temperance." Brennan briefly lowered her eyes, feeling a sadness encompass her.

"As am I," she replied. "This is for the best." Hacker nodded again.

Brennan took the silence as a chance to leave and turned back toward the office door. As she was opening it to exit, Hacker stopped her, "Temperance."

She half-turned to look at the man behind the desk, now standing.

"All of us lose our way at some point in our lives," he said. "Some of us do so multiple times. We can only find our way back with help of those around us that care for us." Brennan felt a pain in her chest and a sting in her eyes. She understood what he was implying. Nodding her acknowledgment, she walked out of the office and to the elevator for the last time.


	6. Chapter 6

Booth stepped out of the elevator on his boss' floor, making his way to the office at the end of the hall. He could have sworn he saw his partner's car on the opposite side of the street as he pulled into the parking garage at the Hoover. He shuddered to think what that meant if he was right.

A swift knock on the door and Booth was admitted to his boss' spacious office.

"You wanted to see me sir," Booth said, voice flat with his hands in his pocket.

"Have a seat, Agent Booth," Hacker gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. His use of 'agent' made Booth nervous, that usually wasn't a good indication of the conversation to come. He sat down in the chair, waiting for the other man to speak.

Hacker had his hands clasped in front of him as he looked down at a sheet of paper on the desk.

"Dr. Brennan came by not too long ago," he began. "Originally, I had wanted you in here to rip you a new one, I'll be honest. Your actions yesterday were so far out of line, I don't quite know what to do with you. Thing is, after your partner came by, I've decided I'm not going to do that. This will be sufficient punishment in my eyes."

Booth's heart started racing. _No, _he thought. He forced himself to stay still.

"This is a letter that is signed by Dr. Camille Saroyan and Dr. Temperance Brennan formally terminating the task force operation between the Jeffersonian and the Federal Bureau of Investigation citing 'inappropriate and inexcusable behavior exhibited by the FBI liaison, Special Agent Seeley Booth, that resulted in multiple lives being placed in imminent danger that could have been avoided.'" He finished reading the excerpt from the letter and looked up, locking eyes with Booth.

Booth's body had completely locked down, he felt like he could barely breathe. They had done it. They had actually done it. He had screwed up that badly. When he didn't say anything, Hacker continued.

"I have yet to file this because I don't want this to happen any more than you do," he said. "Your team has the highest numbers of solved cases in the entire Bureau. That makes me look good and that makes your unit look good. If this comes out, it will make all of us look bad which I cannot tolerate, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think so, sir," Booth replied, finding his voice.

"What I'm saying," Hacker continued, as if not hearing him. "is that you need to try and fix this, immediately. I don't care how you do it, just that you do it. Say what you need to say, do what you need to do and fix the problem that you've created. If it means dumping that pretty blonde girlfriend of yours, you're going to do it. I don't think you fully understand what's on the line here so I'll make this plain: the reputation of the FBI is on the line and your job is on the line, understood?"

Booth felt the remaining blood drain from his face. His job was on the line? He had screwed up before, but his job had never been called into question. He was a damn good agent and the Bureau knew it. He'd been able to get away with some slightly questionable things because they considered him a critical asset. If his job was on the line now, Hacker was right: his mistake was bigger than he realized.

He nodded his understanding. Hacker gave him a pointed look that meant he was dismissed and Booth stood to leave.

In the elevator, he fought with his heartrate trying to quell the rising panic. Again.

Had he really been that blind? Was Hannah truly that much of an issue?

He thought back to the night before and how simple of a thing Hannah had made turning his phone off for an hour seem like. Every alarm bell in his head had been going off telling him that was a bad move, but he had let himself be convinced by the enticing figure of a naked woman luring him to his bed.

Booth suddenly realized he was already sitting in his SUV, not entirely remembering getting in it, which was unlike him. Someone could easily have jumped him in the parking garage and he would have been completely taken off guard. This scared him more than most anything else that had been said in the last twelve hours. He was dangerously distracted, but was it really Hannah?

Again, he thought back to the events of the night before but then started to think back over the last few months since she had arrived in town. There were several instances, now that he thought back with a critical eye, that were questionable. He ran a hand through his hair and started the car, nosing the black SUV toward the exit.

As he started driving, he made a split-second decision and made a last-minute left-hand turn, nearly clipping another car. Horn-blaring behind him, Booth headed toward the other side of town. He needed to speak to his girlfriend.


	7. Chapter 7

Hannah was full of excitement, still riding the high of landing an interesting story. Her methods of gaining information were typically disliked by all, but they got her results. The interview she had just completed proved that. She couldn't wait to get to her computer and start writing; this could be big for her career.

She swiped her badge at the entrance to her building and took the elevator to her floor. Hannah walked briskly with a purpose through the double doors of the office and aimed for her desk, but was stopped by the secretary, "Hannah!"

Hannah stopped and looked over at the young woman.

"Yeah?" she replied, taking a few steps toward the desk as the woman spoke.

"You have an FBI agent waiting in your office," she said, with a slight tremor to her voice. "He insisted on waiting for you." Hannah had been slightly unnerved by the girl's expression but now relaxed immediately. With a little laugh she explained.

"Tall, handsome, looks like a soldier?" she asked. The girl nodded vigorously. "That's my boyfriend, sweetie. It's fine."

With that, she turned to head to her desk, again chuckling to herself. She was aware that Seeley gave off an intimidating vibe. He was dangerous, she had seen that firsthand in Afghanistan. Plus, people tended to get nervous when the FBI came around. Especially journalists because it usually meant trouble. For Hannah, this just made her more excited to get to her desk. Special Agent Seeley Booth was about as sexy as they get. Formerly a Ranger in the Army and now a bad-ass, no-nonsense FBI agent, he was the embodiment of 'alpha male.' Hannah could almost purr at the thought. She was a strong personality, that was obvious the moment you met her. She had met few people who could hold their own with her in the room, but Seeley was one of those few.

He had arrested her in Afghanistan for being somewhere she was not sanctioned to be, and she had instantly been attracted to him. They had had quite the whirlwind affair in the heat of the desert, but that ended abruptly with a phone call from home. He was desperately needed in the FBI agent capacity and returned stateside, leaving her. They hadn't expected to see each other for quite some time, but she had made a spur of the moment decision to move back to the States and take a job that kept her in the same city as he was.

She had done her research, as a good journalist should, and found out where he was going to be when she arrived. Hannah had surprised him at his favorite lunch spot with his partner and the rest was history. He had soon after asked her to move in with him, which she had excitedly accepted, and they were currently enjoying life together. The one downside was that Hannah now knew Seeley very well. He was the type of guy that wanted the house in the suburbs and the 2.5 kids. He was going to want to settle down at some point, and that meant a hard conversation.

Hannah was a free spirit and had no intention of ever marrying and settling down. She hoped to the universe that that time was far off, but had a faint gut feeling that it may not be as far off as she would like. She loved him, in the way that she could and didn't want to see him hurt but also knew herself. She just couldn't do it.

These thoughts went through her head in quick succession as she rounded the corner to her desk. She shook them off and simply looked forward to kissing the sexy man waiting for her. As Hannah drew closer to her desk, she saw Seeley sitting in her chair lazily spinning a pen in his hand. She couldn't read his expression but could pick up that there was a negative energy surrounding him. Hannah hoped nothing bad had happened with his case.

"Hey, soldier," she said, smiling. "How are you, Seel?" She came up to her desk and dropped her bag on the floor, about to sit in his lap when he finally looked at her. The darkness in his eyes halted her in her tracks and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. There were few times in her life she could recall actually feeling a sense of fear. She was the kind of person that bravely faced some of the most dangerous places on earth, without issue. Yet looking into the eyes of the FBI agent sitting at her desk, she felt that unfamiliar feeling settle in her belly. She took a couple of steps back, the smile dropping from her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, nervous. He didn't say anything for a moment, turning his attention back to the pen. Some instinct told her to keep her mouth shut, so she did, which was unusual for her. It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke.

"I just left my boss' office," he began, still twirling the pen. "I'm on thin ice. About as thin as it can get before it cracks and you drown." Seeley looked at her, cementing her to her spot.

"Last night, I turned my phone off for exactly one hour, do you remember?" he asked. There was a dangerous edge to his voice that made Hannah's heart pound. She nodded. "While my phone was off and we were having sex, the man that we've been tracking down the last two weeks showed up at the forensic lab at the Jeffersonian. He held Dr. Saroyan and my partner at gunpoint, having every intention of killing them. The only reason they survived was because Angela gave up trying to reach me and simply called in local Leos."  
Hannah swallowed hard. This was about her somehow.

"I knew I had screwed up, I had twelve missed calls from office lines and cell phones of my team. I immediately went in to figure out what happened and sort through it, you remember this?" Hannah again nodded. Dread growing with every word.

"My boss called a couple of hours ago telling me to meet him at his office as soon as possible, which, I knew, was not a good indication. I met him and he showed me an official letter. The Jeffersonian has submitted a request to terminate the partnership between themselves and the FBI." Hannah was starting to put the pieces together. She was the one who had insisted that he 'turn off his damn phone' for just a little while so they could have some quality time. He had resisted and she had made excellent arguments, eventually convincing him. Hannah's heart dropped into her stomach. _He's going to blame me for this, _she thought. At this, irritation swelled inside her.

"Are you saying this is my fault?" she accused. "Because that's not fair, Seeley."

"No, I'm not saying it's your fault, Hannah," he replied. "It's mine." He paused and simply looked at her with that terrifying expression. Hannah fought to maintain control over her emotions and force herself not to shake with anxiety. She'd never been on the receiving end of his anger and was finding out just how scary it was.

"I've let you get a hold on me, manipulate me, and get under my skin," he said, quietly, not standing from her chair, putting his hands in his pockets. It was a non-threatening stance, but something about it unnerved her as nothing else had. "You are the reason behind my behavior, I see that now. The ultimate blame is on me, though, which I also see. I should have listened to the people that know me best and taken a step back. I don't do this, Hannah. I don't let my emotions get in the way of my job, because it could get someone killed. Well, last night, it almost got two people killed. You're affecting my ability to do my job and I'm finally accepting that."

"What are you saying?" Hannah asked. She knew exactly what he was saying but she was trying to buy herself a few seconds to come up with a counter. He couldn't leave her! She was ultimately going to leave him. This was backwards. Plus, she really did have feelings for him. He was about as perfect as they came.

"You know what I'm saying," he replied. She silently cursed his powers of observation. He knew she was trying to come up with reasons to make him stay and wasn't having it. "We're done, Hannah." He was starting to walk away so she flung the one thing she knew would stop him.

"I know it was Temperance," she said. Just as she expected, he stopped. "I've always known. It's not exactly hard to see." Hannah could her the tears sneaking up on her by the shaking of her voice. Seeley turned to face her. His expression was unreadable.

"She's the one you were running away from. She hurt you and you couldn't take it anymore. Now I see why, because you worked together. There was no way you could have gotten over her, not with her always right there. That's why you put an ocean between the two of you and dove back into a war." He still hadn't said anything, but he wasn't moving either. She kept going.

"I could see the way you look at each other, when you don't think anyone is paying attention. I could feel how the air itself felt different when the two of you were in a room together. You would drop everything, even me, if she called and immediately run to her side."

"That's my job," he said, his voice low. Of course, that was the one part he would respond to. Hannah felt her bitterness rising. She had tried her hardest to be friends with the odd scientist because she knew the woman was always going to be around. She knew she was more fiery than the anthropologist and figured that was the primary quality that Hannah had that Temperance didn't and that's what held Seeley to her. He needed a woman with fire. She had watched for months how the two of them were around each other and felt a deep-seated hatred developing for the female partner. Her jealously was well-hidden, but apparently it had come out in the form of 'manipulation' as he had put it. She knew he was barely in her grasp so she did everything she could to sink her claws in.

"Did you know she told me about two months ago that she was in love with you?" Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head as she looked at the agent. This finally got a reaction. Not much of one, but she saw his stance shift. "Yeah, we were out one night, drinking, and she told me she felt she needed to be honest with me. She said that she had always been in love with you, but when you reciprocated those feelings she panicked. She had never expected you to feel the same way, so she wasn't prepared for how to react when you did."

Seeley's eyes narrowed at her and she saw his jaw tighten. _Maybe ease off, _she thought.

"I appreciated her honesty," Hannah lied. "So, I told her that I understood, you were a hard one not to fall for and we took some shots. Neither of us has mentioned it ever since."

She paused to take a breath and collect her thoughts. She wasn't sure where she was going with this, but she hoped she'd figure it out along the way. Seeley was quiet for a moment.

"You do realize you just confirmed what I said, right?" he asked. Hannah just looked back at him, confused.

"What?" she asked.

"That you've been manipulating me for quite some time," he responded. Hannah felt her heart skip a beat. _Crap, _she thought. She had given herself away because she let her emotions take over. She sat back on her heels, suddenly aware of the audience. Several coworkers had come over when they heard the heated argument. Glancing around at them, she took several steps toward Seeley and whispered, "We should talk about this at home. I would rather they not witness our lover's quarrel."

"You're not understanding me," he said, leaning toward her slightly. "I said, we're done. Which means I want you out of my place before I get back there tonight and if you're not, then this 'lover's quarrel' will end up with you being arrested. Am I clear?" He had said all of this in a tight, controlled voice but the meaning was crystal clear. _Get out of my sight or this will not end well for you._

Hannah was smart enough to take the hint.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your patience with this story. I've had minimal time for anything the last couple of months. I just finished nursing school and was catapulted into the COVID19 nightmare, so I have had no time whatsoever to write. Thankfully, I believe I will have more time to devote to writing now that I'm done! I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, let me know your thoughts!**

**Disclaimer: everything is owned by Fox except the storyline.**

Special Agent Seeley Booth sat in his government-issued, stereotypical black SUV for a very long time. He had subconsciously found his way to the parking structure of the Jeffersonian and had been sitting in a parking spot for what felt like hours. At least they hadn't revoked his parking permit yet.

He still was trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened within the last twenty-four hours, chief among them his blowout with Hannah. Booth hadn't planned on that conversation ending up the way that it had, but as they talked, pieces of the puzzle started to click in his head. Hannah's words confirmed what his friends had been telling him for months: she was manipulating him. He shouldn't be surprised; she's a journalist after all. Weren't all of them like that? He should have done what his gut told him to do and ended things the moment he was called back to the States from Afghanistan.

But he didn't.

And now here he was, about to lose everything.

He would keep his job; he knew that for certain. Booth was one of the best agents in the Bureau and had the highest case-closure rate out of several units but he was well aware that was primarily due to the fact that his partner was literally a world-class anthropologist genius that he had been lucky enough to be assigned to work alongside. Yeah, he knew he was a good investigator, but Bones was the real reason they were able to solve so many cases.

And Booth was about to lose her, which meant he was about to lose everything.

Angela had called it with saying that Hannah was a distraction but it wasn't just in the negative sense implied in their conversation earlier. Hannah was a distraction from the fact that Booth was still head over heels in love with his partner. Even though he adamantly refused to admit that to anyone, even himself, in his heart he knew that she was the one that still held it. Hannah was an amazing woman and Booth truly did feel love toward her, but he had also come to learn that there was a difference between loving someone and being _in _love with someone. The way he felt about Hannah and the way he felt about Bones was noticeably different.

Booth had accidentally built his entire world around his partner. It had happened gradually, without his noticing, over five years until one day…he noticed. And then the email from Sweets had shown up in his inbox, asking him to read through his friend's manuscript. Sweets had been working on the book about him and Bones for years and finally had finished it. Then came the phone call from Bones.

"This is all wrong," she had said. Booth, as usual, was confused.

"What?" he asked, absentmindedly as he rifled through some paperwork on his desk.

"The manuscript," she replied. "From Sweets? It's fundamentally wrong, we have to tell him." Booth finally gave her his full attention, shifting the phone from between his shoulder to holding it.

"How is it fundamentally wrong, Bones?" he asked.

"That wasn't our first case together, remember?" she answered. It took him a moment, but he remembered back to having skimmed through the book. He sighed.

"It wasn't the first case," he stated, agreeing with her. "We had that other one before we officially partnered up."

"Yes, precisely," she said. "His conclusions are most likely skewered incorrectly because he is working off of the assumption that that was our first case. We have to tell him so that he can reevaluate his findings." Booth massaged his temples with his free hand, knowing how that conversation would go. That first case had been a hot mess.

"Yeah," he sighed. "You're right. I'll give him a call and we can meet with him."

Then had come the meeting where the partners had filled Sweets in on their real first case and all the fallout that ensued. Sweets ending up issuing Booth a challenge, which he was confident the psychologist had done very intentionally knowing that the agent couldn't resist.

_"You, it's gotta be you," Sweets had said, looking pointedly at the FBI agent sitting across from him. "You're the gambler. This time, make that work for you."_

Booth was a gambler. And he had taken the biggest gamble of his life by telling Temperance Brennan that he wanted to be with her. The two of them had danced around their attraction for years, always studiously ignoring it and simply settling for the incessant flirting and constant bickering. But he had noticed.

And wanted more. A lot more. He wanted it all. Everything. He could see the two of them buying a house together in the suburbs of DC, having a bunch of kids where he would teach them sports and she would teach them science. He could see their entire lives, together and had wanted it badly enough that he tossed the dice. And lost.

Or so he thought.

He was replaying Hannah and his conversation over and over in his head but the one part that kept sticking out was the last piece of information she had flung at him.

_"She said that she had always been in love with you, but when you reciprocated those feelings she panicked. She had never expected you to feel the same way, so she wasn't prepared for how to react when you did."_

Thinking back to the night when he had confessed his feelings for his partner, Booth remembered her expression when he had first said the words, "I believe in giving this a chance." Her eyes had widened in confusion and disbelief. Could her rejection really have been from simply being so caught off guard that her first instinct was to push him as far away as possible? Booth knew Bones; that was very, very likely. That's why he was currently sitting in the parking garage of the Jeffersonian, restlessly drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Although his thoughts were being consumed with the impending loss of the woman he still loved, having seen the official letter asking for their partnership to end, his mind was being dominated by another thought even more consuming.

He needed to know if he was right.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Temperance Brennan was not a heavy drinker. She was barely a drinker at all. Confining the practice primarily to social settings, her limit was always two. She barely drank at all. And she never, under any circumstance, drank on the premises of the Jeffersonian Institution.

Until tonight.

Dr. Temperance Brennan had officially submitted a letter, also signed by the lab's primary authority, Dr. Camille Saroyan, to the Federal Bureau of Investigation signifying that the current partnership between the two institutions would be effectively terminated starting the following Monday at twelve, noon.

Angela had put it quite succinctly, "You're breaking up with Booth."

Those words had been spinning around her mind for the last several hours, allowing her to focus on nothing else. In the professional sense, that was, essentially, what she was doing. Temperance was severing all official ties with her FBI agent partner which would then allow her to severe all personal ones.

Even though she believed that this was the right decision based on the circumstances and recent evidence of the agent's behavior, thinking about never seeing her partner again made tears well in her eyes and a strong sense of anxiety-related nausea threaten her esophagus. She could no longer pretend that the feelings she had developed for her partner didn't exist. Brennan had told herself for years that she didn't truly have "feelings" for Booth, that she simply responded to his physical presence, features and alpha male personality. That wasn't entirely untrue. The truth was that those "reactions" were the basis for her feelings.

She had been working with the man for five years now, minus seven months. Temperance had come up with a plethora of excuses over the years: it was proximity, it was biological, it was due to their strong friendship…anything except the truth. Then that night Booth had voiced what she also felt and she couldn't lie to herself any longer.

"_I'm the gambler," he said, almost to himself. Temperance stopped, turned and looked at her partner. His hands were in the pockets of his trench coat and he was looking at the ground, lost in thought. Then he looked up at her and her world shifted. "I believe in giving this chance. Look, I wanna give this a shot."_

She had feigned ignorance, asking what he meant, but she had known immediately what he was talking about. The problem had been that she had never, ever expected those words to come out of his mouth. They had seemed to always have an unspoken understanding that they would never walk that path. Brennan had underestimated the depth of his feelings for her and the personality trait of being a gambler.

Having no clue what to do, she had gone with her first instinct and rejected him. Outright and cruelly. Even the tears coursing down her cheeks, telling him the depth of her feelings of remorse in doing so, would not work. His heart had been broken. She watched it happen, the change in his eyes had been obvious even to her.

Then he had left. Booth had rejoined the Army, hopped on a military transport plane and placed an ocean between them. She had hurt him so badly that he preferred fighting in a war then being around her. That knowledge had hurt her deeply, but she didn't believe she had the right to be hurt given the situation. That pain had lingered for months. She had thought it was simply because her best friend had essentially abandoned her, but the longer he was gone, the more obvious it became to her that it went deeper than that.

She finally admitted to herself, consciously, that she was in love with Special Agent Seeley Booth. But he was gone, and she wasn't sure he would be coming back. If he did, she was quite certain he wouldn't be returning as her partner. She wasn't good at the human behavior thing, but she knew Booth and something told her it was over.

The weight of her regrets and the pain she felt over having lost the man she loved to a blonde bombshell had driven her to steal the bottle of Jim Bean she knew Angela kept secreted away in a shelf in her office. Instead of being a constant source of safety, her thoughts had become her prison.

She had ended her partnership with Booth. Shot.

She may never see him again. Shot.

He might end up hating her the rest of his life. Shot.

She would never be able to move on from this man. Shot.

She was going to permanently lose the man she loved. Double shot.

Brennan barely noticed that she was halfway through a brand-new bottle of hard liquor. She also didn't notice the soft tread of footsteps in the corridor outside her office and she definitely didn't notice when a tall, dark, suit-clad man stepped into her doorway.

"Little heavy on the alcohol there, don't you think, Bones?" Seeley Booth's smooth voice interrupted her misery, prompting her to pause with the bottle halfway to her mouth for another swallow of whiskey. Temperance simply blinked as she stared, confused, as Booth walked toward her and sat on the couch opposite her seat. "How about sharing?"

He reached his arm across the coffee table, expectantly, and she handed him the bottle without a moment's hesitation. Booth took a deep draw then handed her back the near-empty glass bottle. She took it absentmindedly, still confused as to what he was doing there.

Booth leaned forward, elbows on his knees and looked intently at the floor. He didn't say anything for what felt like an eternity. Temperance knew better than to say anything to prompt him; he'd speak when he had thought through what he wanted to say.

"I need to ask you something," he began, his voice low and full of an emotion she couldn't identify. "I need you to be honest with me. Even if you don't want to be. Can you promise me that one thing?" He still hadn't looked at her.

"Yes," Temperance replied, voice barely a whisper. She waited for him to continue.

"Do you love me?" Booth asked, finally looking up from the floor and finding her eyes. There was a pain there that nearly knocked Temperance's breath out of her chest. A chill immediately zipped down her spine and she felt her heart skip a full beat. Every inch of her body zinged with anxiety. It took several moments for her to formulate a response.

"What?" she finally croaked out. Booth simply kept looking at her, his face calm but the depth of his emotion reflecting in his eyes.

"You heard me," he replied. Temperance blinked rapidly, trying to figure out how to get out of the situation. Every fiber of her being was telling her to get up and, literally, run.

Then, suddenly, something clicked in her genius' brain.

_It's time to stop running._

With a physical jolt, Temperance recognized the voice as her mother's.

_If you run now, he will not come after you. He'll be out of your reach forever. Stop running._

Unbidden, tears sprang to her eyes as she felt herself give up. She didn't want to lose him. She didn't want to have to try to forget him. She didn't want to learn to live without him. She didn't want to accept never seeing him again, never hearing him call her by her nickname again. She wanted to stop running. If her heart was ever going to be safe with anyone, it was going to be in the hands of the man sitting across from her.

She knew the level of his loyalty; she knew the lengths he would go to protect her; she knew he would never leave her side; and she knew that he would give her his whole self. He had proven over the years that she could always count on him to be her constant. Even if nothing else was sure, Booth being by her side was one hundred percent certain. They had faced down terrorists, serial killers and death together. They had dealt with all sorts of personal challenges together. He had stuck by her side even when her father was on trial for murder. He had helped encourage her to rebuild a relationship with her dad and her brother. He had guided her in social situations and patiently taught her mainstream topics. Booth had never wavered in his stalwart position as her partner. He was her calm in the storm. The one she could always draw strength from.

The one fact that held more meaning than any of the others was the fact that he had _never asked her to change. _

He accepted her as she was and no one, even Angela, had ever done that in her entire life. Suddenly, everything made sense. _Booth _made sense. So, she whispered a single word. The word that would change everything. The word that would firmly place her heart in his strong, callused hands. The word that could lead to her heart being broken irrevocably.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! This is the last chapter I am planning on posting in this story. I hope you guys find it satisfying enough – I've really enjoyed writing this story, thank you so much for reading it! Keep an eye out for other stories – I have a couple of them in the works.**

**Disclaimer: everything is owned by Fox except the storyline.**

Temperance felt a single tear silently slide down her cheek as she looked at the man sitting across from her. Her partner.

It felt as if the very air itself was electrified, crackling with the intensity of the emotion between the two of them. Booth continued to look at her, searching her face with his warm brown eyes, now dark with feeling. He didn't move or speak, he just kept looking at her. Temperance could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for his response. She had just placed her heart and soul on the line. If Booth rejected her, there would be no recovering from it. She would never love or trust another human being again.

Booth was the one person that had enough of her to be able to truly break her heart. He had silently wound his way into her life, into her heart, and she knew that his closeness had the potential to destroy her. They had hurt each other many times over the five years they had been partners but this was an entirely different level. The two of them had always danced around the real fact: that they were in love with each other. Only when Lance Sweets had stated it in simple words in his manuscript had the two of them finally realized they had to acknowledge it. Which had led to the night where Temperance had flat out rejected Booth and hurt him beyond her comprehension. What he had not known was how deeply it had hurt her too.

Now she found herself in a similar position as to the one he had been in that night a year ago, just with higher stakes. His response to this moment would be either the beginning of something wonderful or the end of the partnership and everything they knew. Brennan found herself holding her breath and consciously forced it out.

Booth looked down at his folded hands and sighed, almost imperceptibly. Brennan could feel another hot tear finding its way down her cheek. _Please, _she thought. _Don't say no. _

Finally, he looked back up at her, but his expression was still unreadable. The butterflies in her stomach danced painfully causing her to squirm under his gaze. Then he stood up and Brennan felt the first stab of true fear. Was he just going to get up and leave? But then he walked around the oak coffee table and sat on its edge directly in front of her.

Brennan watched as Booth reached up to gently wipe her tears with his fingers, a look of tenderness on his face. His fingers lingered on her cheek, stroking the soft skin with his thumb as he looked in her eyes. She noticed that it almost looked as if he was blinking back tears of his own. Still afraid of potential rejection, Temperance continued to stay silent.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been in love with you?" Booth whispered, still touching her face. Temperance felt her heart leap into her throat and nearly sobbed with relief.

He wasn't going to reject her.

"Years, Bones," he said. "Do you remember what I said to you that night after we had talked to Sweets?" Brennan nodded, but not hard enough to dislodge his hand. She couldn't find any words.

"I told you that I was that guy, I knew," he said. "Did you understand what I meant by that, though?" Brennan searched his face, unsure. The truth was, she hadn't known exactly what he meant. All she had understood was that what he told her was an anecdote, she didn't quite understand the meaning behind it and had been too upset to ever try to look it up. She had suspected it was a modern phrase she wasn't familiar with but had felt, in the moment, it was inappropriate to ask him to clarify.

She shook her head. The butterflies came back full force as that sexy half-smile debuted.

"I had a feeling you didn't get it," he said, now taking her hand with his free one. "What I mean was that I knew you were the one. I'm sure you've at least heard that phrase before, right?"

Temperance could hardly move. She had certainly heard that phrase before. "The One" was always how people referred to the person that they decided they wanted to spend their life with, that they wanted to marry. She blinked spastically, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying.

"I'm not saying let's go get married, alright, Bones?" he said, sensing her understanding. "All I'm saying is that you're it for me. I know that now. I tried to pretend that wasn't the case and it didn't work, at all. It's you. I love you, Temperance Brennan, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

"I know you're going to need some time to think through what I'm saying, and that's perfectly fine, take as much time as you need. Just come find me once you do, alright? Just…know that I love you and will wait as long as necessary. Because I want you and only you, that's just how it is." With that, he took her face in both of his hands and leaned her head down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Then without another word, he stood and walked out of her office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth hadn't even made it to the parking garage when he heard, "Booth, wait!" Surprised, he paused and turned toward the voice to see his beautiful partner step out of the same elevator he had just vacated. _Please, God, don't let her be changing her mind, _he thought. _I can't go through that again._

She walked up to him with a small smile on her face, slightly out of breath. Still anticipating that his mercurial partner might be taking it all back, Booth waited for her to say what she needed to say. What she said next floored him.

"I don't need to think about it," she said. "I've had years to think about it from every single angle that exists. I've had the last several months to really and truly think about it because we were on opposite ends of the world. I don't need to think about it anymore." Booth couldn't muster any words, he just stared at her, confused.

"Booth," she began again. "That day that I left for Maluku and you came to see me off, against orders? Watching you walk away was one of the most painful moments I had ever experienced and my family abandoned me." She threw her hands in the air, that small smile still on her face.

"I'm in love with you, Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI," she said. "And this time, you don't get to walk away."


End file.
